Greater Sacrifice | Day 17

Podcast Intro [00:00:00]:
Are you experiencing greater things in this season? We want to hear about it. Share your story at transformation at soulcitychurch.com.

Host [00:00:10]:
Welcome to the Greater Things daily devotional where we're asking the question, God, what is the greater thing you want to do in me and through me? So wherever you are, we invite you to quiet your soul and pray this ancient prayer after me. Come, Holy Spirit. This week, we are meditating on greater sacrifice and what that could look like in our lives. Today's devotional is out of Luke chapter 18 verse 22. It says, when Jesus heard this, he said to him, you still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come follow me. I have a 2 year old daughter, and one of her favorite things to do right now is whatever I'm currently doing.

Host [00:01:23]:
If I'm reading, she wants to read If I'm exercising, she wants to exercise If I'm listening to music, she wants to listen to music too. It's actually really adorable except for when she sees me eating. Because when she sees me eating, then she wants to eat too. But she doesn't want to eat her own food, she wants to eat my food. And I do not like sharing food. Listen, she can interrupt my workout or change my Spotify song all she wants. I'm not bothered by that. But when she starts asking for bites of my food, now that feels like a sacrifice to me.

Host [00:02:08]:
You see, sacrifice begins where our desire to give ends. I think that's just true, that that sacrifice in our lives actually starts the minute our desire or willingness to give ends. Jesus actually tells a great story about this in the gospel of Luke, chapter 18. This rich young ruler approaches Jesus and asks what he needs to do in order to inherit what he calls eternal life. And Jesus responds to this guy by essentially telling him to keep the commandments, to which the man responds, one step ahead of you, Jesus. Already doing those. I've actually been keeping them my entire life. You see, for this young ruler, it would seem that keeping the commandments, following God's law, was not difficult.

Host [00:03:00]:
It wasn't a stretch for him. And again, where there's no stretching, there's no sacrifice. So Jesus pushes in a little further and tells the man to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. And that, it would seem, is just a bit too far for this rich young ruler. In the rest of the chapter, it actually tells us that it's because the young ruler had so much that it was so hard for him to part with it. But we would actually be making a mistake if we were to assume that this whole story is only or exclusively about money. You see, this is actually a story about the things that we value over and above God. And the Bible's word for this would be idolatry.

Host [00:03:50]:
An idol is anything that we think of or treat as more important than God. Now this could be money or wealth, like it is in the story, but this could also be power or comfort or a physical item or a relationship. An idol is anything and everything that we value more than we value God. And the reality is we all have them. We are all the rich young ruler in our own way. Maybe your idol isn't money, but you do have an idol. Having an idol or or idols is not what makes us unique. What makes us unique is being willing to sacrifice the things that we want in order to follow the God that we need, even and especially when we don't naturally want to do those things.

Host [00:04:44]:
Again, sacrifice begins where our desire to give ends. Jesus himself actually knew what this was like. On the night when he was arrested, Jesus was praying in a garden, knowing what was about to happen to him on the cross. And Jesus makes it very clear in that prayer that he didn't want to do it. He didn't want the cross. He wanted comfort. He wanted safety. He wanted his life.

Host [00:05:14]:
But then Jesus prayed perhaps the most sacrificial prayer that one can pray. He said, not my will, God, but your will be done. And so the question is, are you willing to make that same sacrifice? Are you willing to give up what you want so that God's will might be done in your life? Will you cling to your idols like the rich young ruler, or would you be willing to sacrifice what you want in order to follow the God that you need? Now I wanna invite you to pray this prayer after me. Father, I pause and welcome more of you. I slowly breathe in and breathe out to be fully present with you in this moment. God, I confess to you that there are things that I value more than I value you. Forgive me for my idolatry. Jesus, help me follow in your example.

Host [00:06:43]:
Your example of being willing to sacrifice my wants for the sake of God's will when necessary. Holy Spirit, give me strength, give me courage, and give me faith to say no to my idols so that I can say yes to you.